Gorgeous Gorges Galore

If I were to summarise the first part of the ride Jackie and I made on our way to St Tropez, I would have to talk about the world wars, soldiers, battlefields and cemeteries of northern France. The second part of our ride could not have been more different.

Wherever possible, we avoided all main roads and travelled instead on remote roads, through some gorgeous countryside, including the French Alps. We were in no hurry, so were able to limit our ride each day to between 150 and 200 miles, although even these distances were quite a task on some of the roads we were using, where slow speeds were essential.

Take the Combe Laval for example where the road clings to the side of a cliff along one side of its gorge.

If you look carefully you can just about see the road and short tunnel about two thirds up the cliff....

Quite how this road was ever constructed is difficult to work out, but it must have taken a long time. This is a close up of just one of the tunnels where the road is cut through the rock....

The view from the road looking down is stunning....

To appreciate the road even more, we turned around, and did the road again, this time with the video camera fixed to the bike....



Just a short distance further, we started down the other side of the mountain on what is possibly one of the best riding roads in Europe. This is the D76/D518 from Vassieux-En-Vercors to Die. Both the views and the twisty roads are spectacular....

The road snakes down the mountain in a series of dramatic bends, ready to test anyone on a bike....

Arriving at Sisteron, the view of the citadel across the river is a good one....

Many towns have informal cafes and bars serving drinks and food. Finding somewhere to park your bike in the shade is a bonus....

Just before arriving in St Tropez, we rode along the Verdun Gorge, a spectacular canyon....

There is just one place where the Gorge can be crossed and we had enjoyed riding along one side so much, we crossed the bridge and rode back along the opposite bank....

Looking back across the gorge. Note the line of the road about half way up the canyon wall....

Some signs advertise the gorge as the “Grand Canyon”. While not as spectacular as the original in America, this one is pretty good....

More on the HOG rally in St Tropez in my next post.